雅思听力

🎧 Listening Transcript

Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to discuss the history of the postal service in Britain. Before the 19th century, sending a letter was very expensive, and the cost was usually paid by the recipient, not the sender. This meant that many poor people could not afford to receive letters. However, in 1840, a man named Rowland Hill introduced the Penny Post. He proposed that the sender should pay for the postage in advance, using a small piece of paper we now call a stamp. This made sending letters much cheaper and more accessible. The first stamp, the Penny Black, featured a portrait of Queen Victoria and was an immediate success.